Railway-signal apparatus.



D. BAKER.

RAILWAY SIGNAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED TERA), 1912.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

J T TOR/Vi)? apparatus -for installation adjacent to a Angeles, State of California, have invented siding track.

showing parts and devices in the apparatus,

the switch end 7 of the siding track 8 may M rrant ora ion.

DAVID BAKER, OF ZL OS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

RAIL'WATY-SIGNAL APPARATUS.

Application filed February 9, 1912. Serial No. 677,622.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be at known that 1, DAVID BAKER, a citizen of the United States of America, residmg at Los Angeles, in the county of Los a certain new and useful Railway-Signal Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railway signal i bridge over a stream, and it may be said to consist in the provision of the novel features and in the novel and'improved construction, arrangement and combination of the parts and devices as will be apparent-from the description and claims which follow.

One object of the invention is to provide novel and improved apparatus in which the same signals indicate the condition of the stream and also of the switch end of the Further objects of the invention are to provide novel and improved apparatus of the class specified which is simple in construction, economical tb"'install and maintain, and efl'ective in use.

Other objects and the advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following description of the preferred form of apparatus embodying the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is partly broken perspective View and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the parts and devices and electrical connections,

Near the bridge 2 overthe stream 3 is located the stand 4 having thereon the signal box 5. In or on the box 5 are arranged a suitable visual signal 6 for indicating safe condition of the stream 3 and opencondition of the switch end 7 of the siding track 8, and also a suitable audible signal 9 and a suitable visual signal 10 for indicating unsafe condition of'the stream 3 and closed condition of the switch end 7 of the siding track 8, The audible signal 9 may consistof a bell, and the visual signals 6 and 10 may respectively be white and red in color. To

be connected a rod 11 which is also pivotally connected with the double switch 12 mounted on pivots 13 on the wall 14 of a suitable housing 15 which extends downwardly into the stream 3. When the switch end 7 of the siding track 8 is put in open condition main track clear-the rod 11 causes the switch 12 to bridge the contacts 16 and when said switch end of the siding track is put in closed condition the rod 11 causes the switch 12 to bridge the contactsli'. In the housing '15 is arranged a suitable device 18 adapted to be actuated by the float 19 to opcratively connect the audible signal 9 and the visual signal 10 in electrical circuit when the level of the stream 3 reaches a predetermined height and causes the bridge 2 to be in unsafe condition. As shown, the conductor block 20 may be slidably arranged in guides 21 on the wall 14 and it may be connected by a hook 22 to the hook 23 of a bell crank 24: mounted on a pivot 25 on the wall 14. When the stream 3 has risen sutfi-' cicntly to render the bridge 2 unsafe, the

collar 26 on the stem 27 attached to the float moves against the bifurcated end 28 of the bell crank 24 and the latter is released from the hook 22 and the conductor block 20 is thereupon moved by a suitable spring 30 to bridge the contacts 29. 1 Suitable spring linger contacts 31 are adapted to, engage with the conductor block 20 while \the latter is connected with the bell crank The stem 27 may pass through a guide 32 on the partition 33 in the housing 15.

The electrical connections may be as follows: Conductor 34L may lead from one side of a suitable source of electricity indicatedat 35 and be connected by conductors 36,

37, and 38 with the signals 6, 9 and 10 respcctively, conductor 39 may lead from the other side of the source of electricity to one of the contacts 29, conductor '40 may lead from the other of the contacts 29 and be connected with the signals 9 and 10 by conductors 41 and 42 respectively, conductor 43 may lead from the conductor 39 to one of ,the contacts 31, conductor 44 maylead,

from the other of the contacts 31 to one of the contacts 16, conductor 45 may leadfrom the other of the contacts 16 and through the switch 46 to the signal 6, conductor 47 may lead from conductor 43 to onevof the contacts 17, and conductor 48 may lead from the other of the contacts 17 to the conductor 40..

Assuming that the switch 46 is closed, that the conductor block is connected with the bell crank 24, and that-the switch eiid 7 of the siding track 8 is open so that the switch 7 of the siding track 8 is put in closed condition, the switch 12 is moved away from the contacts 16 and caused to bridge the contacts 17, and the circuit of current to operate the danger signals 9 and 10 may be traced as follows: from the source of elec-- tricity through conductors 39, 4:3 and 47, across contacts 17 through switch 12, through conductors 48 and 40, through con-. ductors 41 and 42 to signals 9 and .10 respectivcly, through signals 9 and 10 and conductors 37 and 38 connected with the signals 9 and 10 respectively, and through conductor 34 to the source of electricity. When the stream rises sufiicient-ly to raise the float- 19 and move the collar 2(3 against the end 28 of the bell crank 2% to cause disengagement of the latter with the conductor block 20, the latter is moved away from conductor 31 by spring 30 and caused to bridge contacts 29, and the circuit of current to operate the danger signals 9 and 10 may be traced as follows: from the source of elec: tricity 35, through conductor 39, across contacts 29 through conductor block 20, through conductor 40, through conductors 41 and 42 to slgnals 9 and 10 respectively, through signals 9 and 10 and conductors 37 and 38 connected with the signals 9 and 10 respectively, and through conductor 34 to the source of electricity. It will be seen that the circuit for current through the safety signal 6 is automatically broken when danger conditions exist with respect to either the siding track or the rising of the stream.

Asalready stated the signal 10 is intended to indicate danger. The engineer of a train coming along the main track from the right-see Fig. 1 where the signal is shownon the right sidemust stop when the signal 10 is displayed because the signal indicates either that the switch is thrown to the siding or that the bridge is unsafe in consequence of high water. If the switch were thrown to the siding and the engineer did not st'o p h is train, it is evident that the train would run through and damage the switch. lVhen the signal 10 is displayed, the engineer stops histra'in and the train crew can easily ascertain whether the switch is thrown to the siding or whether the :bridge' isunsaf The switch may have been tampered with or it may have inadvertently been left thrown to the siding by another train crew.

I claim:

1. In combination in railway signal apparatus for installation adjacent to a bridge over a stream, a railway including a siding track, an electrically operated signal to indicate open condition of the switch end of said siding track, an electrically operated signal to indicate closed condition of the switch end of said siding track, means to actuate the last mentioned signal when the stream rises to a predetermined level, and automatic means to break the electric circuit through the first mentioned signal when the second mentioned signal is operated' 2. In comhination in railway signal apparatus for installation adjacent to a bridge over a stream, a railway including a siding track, a stand, an electrically operated signal to indicate open condition of the switch end of the siding track, an electrically operated signal to indicate closed condition of the switch end of the siding track, a conductor block adapted to close theelectric circuit to operate the first mentioned signal, means to move the conductor, block to open said electric circuit and close the electric circuit through the. second mentioned signal when the stream rises to a predetermined level, and means including a float for con-- trolling the operation of the first means.

3. In combination in railway signal apparatus for installation adjacent to a. bridge over a stream, a railway including a siding track, an electrically operatedsignal to indicate open condition of the switch end of said siding track, an electrically operated signal to indicate closed condition of the switch end of said. siding track, a pivoted switch operatively .connected with the switch end of'said sidingtrack to close the electric circuit through either of the signals a cording to the condition of the switch end of said siding track, a conductor block adapted to close the electric circuit to operate the first mentioned signal, and means to move the conductorwhlock to open the last mentioned electric circuit and close the electric circuit through the second mentioned signal when the stream rises to a predeter-' mined level, and-means including a float for controlling the operation of the first means. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, this3rd day of November A. D. 1911.

y DAVID BAKER.

W'itnesses ANNA B. Dnssan,

ALEX. H. Lmorns. 

